Josh Kingston
Joshua Everett "Josh" Kingston (born 13 July 1997) is a Canadian singer-songwriter, radio presenter, and record label executive. He was born in Brighton, England and moved to White Rock, British Columbia, Canada when he was four months old. He eventually moved to New York City, where he currently resides as an expatriate. At the age of twelve, he became involved in music. In 2011, he signed a recording contract with an independent record label however the agreement became void following the record label's declaration of bankruptcy. He later signed a recording contract with Banana Music. His debut album Symphony was released in November 2011, containing strong pop rock influences and generating four singles including the platinum single "Love You Like A Love Song". His second album'' In January' was released in April 2012; containing alternative rock influences. ''In January was re-released three times; spawning a total of nine singles including the platinum singles "Chasing Cars", "Eyes Open", and "Fix You" and the diamond single "I Won't Give Up". His third album ''Up in Flames' was released in June 2013; consisting of funk and R&B genres and producing six singles including the platinum singles "Charlie Brown" and "Talk". Kingston has won two SMA Music Awards, and Banana Music has dubbed him their Artist of the Year of 2012 and 2013. Aside from his music career, he guest-hosted Intenational'' in November 2011 and again in April 2013 and was a judge on the singing competition series Talent in November 2012. Additionally, he has been the host of the anthology podcast Dark Theater since September 2013. As of November 2013, five of Kingston's singles have been certified Platinum and one single has been certified Diamond by the Banana Music Certification System, making Kingston the only Banana Music artist in history to receive a Diamond certification. His entire discography has been given a Ruby certification, making him the best-selling Banana Music artist of all-time. Life and projects '1997–2010: Early life and relocating' Kingston was born in Brighton, England on 13 July 1997. He moved to White Rock, British Columbia, Canada when he was four months old. He has one older brother and one younger sister. Before beginning his singing hobby, he participated in several swimming, soccer, basketball, and football teams. In 2007, he was dubbed "Future Football Star" in his local newspaper. He also participated in several independent plays, musicals, and short films directed by locals. In September 2009, he moved with his family to the Brooklyn borough in New York, New York. After entering middle school, he began learning to play the alto saxophone. Around this time, he also began playing piano and singing. In late 2010, he began taping cover videos; intended to be for his family and friends. '2011: ''Symphony ''and ''Banana Recordz Countdown ''Main articles: Symphony and Banana Recordz Countdown'' Following encouragement from friends and family, Kingston posted a video of himself singing "Sink or Swim" by Tyrone Wells onto his YouTube account in January 2011. Over the next few months, Kingston met with several independent New York-based record labels, however these labels ultimately declined to sign Kingston due to his young age. In May, a local counterpart of an economically-troubled label called Bysa Records offered to transport Kingston to Boston to meet with producers and other label executives, however Bysa withdrew from this agreement the following month, citing his young age, inexperience, and their own financial issues. Kingston continued to record covers throughout June, when he came across several online record labels that mostly handled cover artists. Looking for a label that would professionally and realistically release his covers, he came across Banana Recordz. He submitted his "Sink or Swim" cover video to the label, and he signed a recording contract for one album cycle on 4 July. He agreed to a two-year publishing agreement through Banana Music Publishing the following day and immediately began recording the album in Guardings Studio, an independent studio located a few blocks away from his home. Already having several recorded covers, and looking to quickly release his covers, Kingston's debut single "Bend or Break" was released on 20 July. The song was independently written and produced by Kingston, who drew inspiration from "Sink or Swim" for the song. "Bend or Break" would ultimately go on to be nominated for Best Original Song in the 2012 SMA Music Awards. Following the release of this single, he released "To Build A Home" as his second single in August. In September, he collaborated with fellow Banana Recordz artist Carly on the single "Love You Like A Love Song", which was nominated for Best Collaboration in the 2012 SMA Music Awards and became the first song in Banana Music history to be certified Platinum by the Banana Music Certification System. His fourth single "Marchin' On" was released in October as the final single from his first album. Symphony, his debut album, was released on 9 November. The album contained 7 songs, and its release had been delayed by about two weeks. Upon release, Symphony received mixed reviews, and its commercial success was lukewarm. Despite this, Banana Recordz considered Kingston to have further potential, and his contract with the label was renewed for one additional album cycle in December. On 11 November, the Top 5 audio podcast Banana Recordz Countdown premiered with Kingston serving as its host, however the podcast was immediately put on hiatus for over one year. As of November 2013, Symphony has been certified Platinum x2 by the Banana Music Certification System. '2011–12: ''In January ''and Talent ''Main article: In January and Talent '' Following the renewal of his contract, Josh opted to release his second album in Spring 2012. He began primary recording for this album on 8 December 2011. He stated later that month that his second album would be more "mellow" than ''Symphony, and that he was hoping to put more time and effort into the album than he did with his debut effort. Banana stated that the album would be "indie-influenced". In late December, Kingston signed a tentative agreement with Bysa Records to record a professional studio album in Boston in summer 2012, however Bysa filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in early 2012. Kingston subsequently moved to their sister label Polyequidor Music. During negotiations with Bysa, Kingston continued operating under Banana; fearing that negotiations with Bysa would be unsuccessful. When it became apparent that Bysa's financial issues would cause the agreement to be invalidated, Kingston launched Indigo Records on 1 January 2012. Indigo is licensed as a subsidiary of Banana Music, however is wholly-operated and owned by Kingston. Kingston signed a 2-year deal with Banana Music, that gave Banana exclusive distribution rights for all Indigo Records content through January 2014. On 13 January, Kingston announced that his second album, In January, would be released on 2 May. The lead single from the album, "Stronger" was released on 14 February, followed by its second single "Chasing Cars", which was released on 30 March and became Kingston's second single to become certified Platinum by the Banana Music Certification System. In January was released on 20 April by Banana; two weeks earlier than initially planned after a deal with Polyequidor failed to be finalized. The album contained 12 tracks along with 3 bonus tracks. Upon release, In January received generally mixed reviews; with critics noting Kingston's "slightly improved" vocal talent, however feeling that the genres and influences on the album were "confusing". Despite this, the album performed well commercially, and as a result, a deluxe edition was commissioned. On 1 June, a new song entitled "Wide Awake" was released as the lead single from the album's deluxe edition. "Set Fire to the Rain" was released as the third single from In January and the fourth overall single from the In January era on 20 June. The album's deluxe edition, entitled'' In January: Four Seasons'', was released on 26 June and contained 6 new songs. In July, Kingston released a stand-alone single entitled "Eyes Open", which won an SMA Music Award for Best Original Song and became Kingston's third song to be certified Platinum by the Banana Music Certification System. Kingston performed "Wide Awake" at the SMA Music Awards. "Part of Me" was released as Four Seasons' second single on 27 August. "Never Gonna Leave This Bed" was announced as the third single however its release was eventually scrapped. On 17 September, a new song entitled "I Won't Give Up" was released as the lead single from'' In January: The Complete Collection''; the final re-release/deluxe edition of In January. "I Won't Give Up" went on to be certified Diamond by the Banana Music Certification System, making it the only song in Banana Music history to do so. On 11 October, "In January" was released as the fourth and final single from the standard edition of In January. Later that month, Kingston signed on to host the horror anthology podcast Dark Theater. Pre-production for the project began the following month. "Fix You" was released on 10 November as the second and final single from The Complete Collection, and as the ninth and final overall single from the'' In January'' era. "Fix You" has since been certified Platinum. The Complete Collection was released on 11 November. A week later, Kingston formally ended the In January ''era by stating: "R.I.P. ''In January. The new era starts now". Later that month, Kingston served as a judge during the first season of the singing competition Talent. Following the end of the first season, Talent was cancelled. As of November 2013, In January has been certified Platinum, Four Seasons has been certified Gold x2, and The Complete Collection has been certified Diamond by the Banana Music Certification System. Collection is the only album in Banana Music history to receive a Diamond certification. '2012–13: ''Up in Flames ''and ''Carols Main articles: Up in Flames, Dark Theater, and Carols In March 2012, Kingston confirmed that he would create a third album. He began writing original music later that month. Recording for his third album had been planned to begin in September, however he postponed the start of recording in order to promote The Complete Collection. In January 2013, Kingston was awarded the 2012 Banana Music Artist of the Year Award. Recording for his third album began on 1 January and he spent the majority of the next two months recording the album and planning out the release strategy for the album. Banana Recordz Countdown returned in February 2012, however Kingston did not return as the podcast's host. Also in February, Kingston renewed his recording contract with Banana for an additional album cycle, securing an agreement for Banana Music to release his third album and all re-releases. His contract with Banana Recordz was terminated on 2 March as he opted to release his third album through Indigo - a subsidiary of Banana Music Group. In a highly promoted and anticipated press release on 3 March 2013, Kingston announced that his third album, Up in Flames, would be released in June, and he released the album's lead single "Charlie Brown", which became his fifth single to be certified Platinum by the Banana Music Certification System. On 8 April, Kingston guest-hosted Banana Recordz Countdown, where he announced that Up in Flames would be released on 23 June. The album was available for a limited engagement two-day pre-order that began on 15 April and ended on 17 April. The album's second official single "Madness" was released on 19 April 2013. On 1 June, Banana Music announced that the album's release had been moved to 28 June. The album's third single "Get Lucky" was released on 6 June as the final pre-album release single, while "Treasure" was released for online streaming a day prior to the album's release. On 17 June, Kingston signed on to host the documentary podcast In the Know, which will premiere in summer 2014. '' '' Kingston's third album'' Up in Flames'' was released on 28 June 2013. The album's final track listing emitted all pop and pop rock songs in favour of an alternative, funk, R&B-rock sound. The album received mostly positive reviews from critics, who praised Kingston's improved vocals. As of November 2013, Up in Flames has been certified Gold by the Banana Music Certification System. Kingston's publishing agreement with Banana Music Publishing expired on 5 July and was briefly operated on a temporary extension. On 18 July, Kingston signed a publishing deal with Blue Publishing. Later that month, he began recording the first season of Dark Theater in Provincetown, Massachussetts. The fourth single from Up in Flames, "Strawberry Swing" was released on 21 July. Dark Theater premiered on 27 September to critical acclaim and strong viewership. "Talk" was released on 30 September as the fifth single from Up in Flames and became his eighth certified platinum single. Kingston's contract with Blue Publishing was declared invalid on 8 October and Kingston signed a 6-month deal with Breeze Publishing. As part of the contract, Breeze agreed to handle negotiations for Kingston's future publication, promotional, contractual, and endorsement deals. The first season finale of Dark Theater aired on 1 November. In October 2013, Kingston recorded a Christmas extended play entitled Carols, which was released on 29 November. "Baby, It's Cold Outside" was released on 12 November as the first promotional single, while "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" was released on 24 December as the sole official single. On 18 November, it was announced that Kingston's discography had been certified Ruby by the Banana Music Certification System, making him the best-selling Banana Music artist of all time. Later that month, Kingston was hired as an executive producer on Banana Recordz Countdown, which was re-titled Intenational at Kingston's direction. On 1 December 2013, it was announced that Kingston had been named the Banana Music Artist of the Year of 2013. "Bad Religion" was released on 7 December as the sixth and final single from Up in Flames. The following day, Kingston tweeted "With this tweet, I officially close the Up in Flames era. Once again, thank you" and his Twitter account's icon, background, and header turned black in order to officially commemorate the end of the album cycle. Guardings Recording Studio, where Kingston recorded his first three albums, closed later that month. '2013–present: ''Fourth album Kingston announced in June 2013 that he intended to record a fourth album, which he stated would contain mostly original music. In September, he began pitching the album's sound and tone to Banana Music in order to secure a contract renewal. In November, Banana Music announced that Kingston had finalized a new recording contract which will renew his contract with the label for one additional album cycle. Recording for the album began on 13 December in Kingston's home due to the closure of Guardings. On 31 December, Banana Audio confirmed that Kingston would return to host the second season of Dark Theater, which will premiere on 29 March 2014. On 1 January 2014, Kingston announced that he had opted out of his contract with Breeze Publishing and will now essentially represent himself through his own newly formed publishing agency Kingston Representative. Later that month, it was announced that Kingston was developing a horror serial entitled Orphan's Waist, which will debut on Horror Tales Podcast Network in late 2014. His new recording contract went into effect on 10 February 2014. The contract, which was negotiated by Kingston Representative, placed the album's development under a 2-month publicity ban in order to prevent internet leaks. As of March, recording for the album is ongoing at Kingston's home in New York City. Artistry and personal life 'Influences' Kingston has consistently referred to as English rock band Coldplay and American rock band OneRepublic as his main influences, and has cited alternative rock as his favourite and most influential music genre. He named his third album Up in Flames which is a song on Coldplay's album Mylo Xyloto (2011). He has stated that Canadian band Marianas Trench is his main influence to include the pop rock and indie genre in his albums. More recently, he has listed Bruno Mars, Florence + the Machine, Lana Del Rey, Frank Ocean, Rihanna, Katy Perry, Beyonce, Kanye West, and Drake as influences. 'Musical style and themes' Kingston's music frequently contains elements of alternative rock and pop rock while adding "bits and pieces" from other genres. His debut album Symphony ''(2011) is predominantly alternative and pop rock, while also exploring symphonic rock, electropop, euro-disco, gospel rock, soft rock, and synthpop and featuring themes such as heartbreak and motivation. Kingston associates this album with the colours gold and yellow. Kingston considers his second album ''In January ''(2012) to be "sonically similar" to its predecessor, largely containing pop rock, pop, and alternative rock while also compromising dance-pop, electropop, folk rock, house, rock opera, soul, surf rock, trip hop, and urban dance influences. The album's themes consist mostly of love and heartbreak. Kingston associates this album with the colours grey and blue. His third album ''Up in Flames (2013) is a departure from his previous material, emitting all pop and pop rock influences in favour of a "70's throwback vibe" which he achieved by utlizing genres such as funk and disco while still maintaining his signature alternative rock sound. The album also contains R&B, afro-pop, electronic rock, highlife, indie pop, indie rock, neo-soul, new wave, post-Britpop, psychedelic rock, reggae rock, synth rock, and synthpop genres. The album's themes include nostalgia, love, and sex. Kingston associates this album with the colour orange. 'Religion and health' Kingston is atheist. He has stated most of his family members are Christian but lack major religious beliefs, and that he has never attended or "even been inside of" a church or any other religious establishment. Kingston was formally a vegetarian, however now eats meat due to chronic low blood pressure. Due to his hypotension, Kingston often faints and he takes medication for this. Discography 'Studio albums' *''Symphony'' (2011) *''In January'' (2012) *''Up in Flames'' (2013) 'Extended plays' *''Carols (2013) 'Compilation albums and re-releases' *''In January: Four Seasons (2012) *''In January: Download Release – SendSpace Exclusive'' (2012) *''In January: The Complete Collection'' (2012) *''Up in Flames – Chirbit Edition'' (2013) 'Live broadcasts' *''The Stronger Premiere (3 February 2012) *''The Chasing Cars Premiere (13 March 2012) *''In January'' Live (2 June 2012) *''Four Seasons Live (27 June 2012) *''The Charlie Brown Premiere (3 March 2013) 'Singles' Main article: List of singles released by Josh Kingston 'Awards and nominations' Filmography and live performances